PROTECT Legislative Victories

PROTECT does more than just get laws passed. Often our greatest impact is just being there to remind politicians that people like you are watching, but legislation is the heart of what we do. Here are the highlights of our legislative track record.

STATE

LEGISLATION

DESCRIPTION

2014

Arizona

Alicia's Law Child Rescue Funding

Secured $350,000 in funding for the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Hawaii

Alicia's Law Child Rescue Funding

Created new Alicia's Law fund to fund counter-child-exploitation through court fees.

Virginia

Child Rescue Funding

After House leaders killed legislation to increase court fees to fund child rescue teams, PROTECT secured help from Governmor for last-minute parliamentary move that saved the measure, increasing law enforcement resources by 50%

Legislation requiring every prosecutorial jurisdiction in the state to establish multi-disciplinary teams to better coordinate child abuse and neglect investigations between agencies.

United States

HERO hiring

Secured $1 million in new funding for the Department of Justice's ICAC Task Force program. Congressional intent expressed that the appropriation be used to hire wounded, ill and injured veterans to investigate and prosecute child sexual exploitation.

Created funding source for Idaho ICAC, increasing investigation capacity of images of child rape and exploitation by 275%. Idaho ICAC will receive $2 million first year with recurring funding of $1.6 million each year thereafter.

Texas

Alicia's Law Child Rescue Funding

Additional $1.6 million included in state budget for ICAC Task Forces in Houston and Dallas.

Virginia

Crime Commission Study

Required Crime Commission to research and report on all laws and regulations in Virginia that cause child sexual abuse investigations to fail. Also mandated the study of information-sharing between agencies regarding crimes against children.

United States

Homeland Security Appropriations Bill

$20 million to ICE to track large-scale international child pornography rings and rescue children through their child-victim identification program.

Adds Criminal Sentencing Commission and Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court to the list of mandatory reporters.

Virginia

Sentencing Law

Makes a mandatory prison sentence for encouraging anyone to share child abuse images to gain entry to a group.

United States

Child Protection Act of 2012

Reauthorized the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008; made harassing a child witness a federal crime; gave the US Marshals Service improved tools for locating fugitive sex offenders, and provided oversight on Department of Justice regarding compliance on the National Internet Data System, as required by the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008.

Creates independent state commission to review cases of children known to the child protection system who were abused a second time. Commission reports to state legislature and makes recommendations for legislation and reform.

Expands performance data that state agencies are required to report to the Virginia Child Protection Accountability System.

United States

Federal Appropriations

Continues ongoing campaign to protect and increase federal funding for anti-child exploitation efforts. From 2006-2010, PROTECT's work was critical in increasing FBI Innocent Images Initiative budget from $6 million to over $50 million.

Tennessee

Every Minute Counts Bill

Gives prosecutors streamlined powers to issue administrative subpoenas in child exploitation cases, hastening the speed with which law enforcement can identify suspects and locate victims.

2009 (Budget: $492,000)

Tennessee

Child Abuse Penalties

Strengthens child abuse laws at request of Tennessee prosecutors, including physical abuse of young children.

Creates new fines on felonies and misdemeanors to create a permanent, dedicated revenue source for ICAC task forces. Also expands transparency and accountability in the criminal justice system, including funding for new Child Protection Accountability System.

Creates the Virginia Child Protection Accountability System, a national model for transparency and accountability in the child protection and court system. Secures funding for public website and pilot transparency projects. Requires state agencies to report performance data at county level.

Landmark federal legislation on child exploitation. Mandates national law enforcement nerve center to track and combat child pornography, with priority given to child rescues. Authorizes major resource increases.

2007 (Budget: $250,000)

California

Child Rescue Funding

Secures first dedicated state funding stream for Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces.

Tennessee

Child Rescue Funding

Secures funding and expansion of ICAC task forces and affiliates across Tennessee, more than doubling capacity and ensuring many new child rescues.

Rolls back 1981 laws that had let approximately 50,000 child sexual abusers to escape prison while forcing their victims (children in their own household) to attend "treatment" with them. Builds broad grassroots coalition.